Letter to the Editor
Even though cultures and religions have been at war for thousands of years the problem of war can be solved. In order to have a war there has to be an agreement to go to war. This agreement comes from a Vocabulary of War.
In the Middle East Muslims and Jews kill each other, but in San Francisco Muslims and Jews march together to protest for peace. The reason San Francisco is different than the Middle East is that San Francisco uses the Vocabulary of Peace and the Middle East uses the Vocabulary of War. We respect each other here. In San Francisco "we" are all "us", fellow members of the human community. Over there "they" are "terrorists" or "Infidels" and "they" deserve to die.
The Vocabulary of Peace humanizes people. The Vocabulary of War dehumanizes them. The difference is in the vocabulary and I think that if we change the vocabulary we can change the world. It's harder to kill people when you see them as individuals. And they have a harder time hating you when you are being respectful and considerate.
Posted by marc at August 20, 2006 11:15 PMBravo!
that is a parallel to how our minds work. If you constantly and dillengtly pursue good thinking and don't let all the little things get to you (or even the big ones), you will be amazed every day at the peace which actually exists.
I praise those in SF and similar places around the world that actually put in to practise in their daily lives the beauty and dignity of peaceful thinking and actions.
Peace always and in all ways,
eLi gARF